Dos Santos Predicts KO at UFC 131

Junior dos
Santos found out that Brock Lesnar
was out of their UFC
131 headliner at the same time as the rest of the world:
Thursday afternoon, when UFC President Dana White announced it
during an emergency media conference call.

Dos Santos, who coached opposite the former UFC heavyweight
champion on the currently airing 13th season of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” was naturally a bit surprised to hear out of the blue
that he’ll now meet Shane Carwin
on June 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

“I got a little upset about this change, but I’m happy that the
UFC got another opponent for me,” Dos Santos told Sherdog.com
Thursday evening. “Carwin is an excellent fighter and deserves all
my respect.”

The opponent swap is not the first curveball the 26-year-old
Brazilian has been thrown in recent months. After notching a
unanimous decision over Roy Nelson at
UFC 117 in August, Dos Santos became the top contender to reigning
heavyweight champion Cain
Velasquez. When Velasquez opted to surgery on a torn rotator
cuff, however, the deck was reshuffled. Lesnar and Dos Santos were
announced as coaches for “TUF 13,” with the winner to be named the
new No. 1 contender.

The upside: Dos Santos’ fight with Carwin will carry the same
prize and the winner will get to welcome Velasquez back to the
Octagon. The downside: taking a fight on one month’s notice against
a dangerous, once-beaten foe.

“His boxing skills are great,” said Dos Santos of Carwin, who
has secured all four of his UFC wins by first-round stoppage. “It’s
gonna be a great fight with tough blows from both sides. I would
say that it will end by knockout.”

With the stakes just as high and his new opponent just as
dangerous, “Cigano” explained that there is little time for a
change in strategy. But, for a young fighter in his prime who has
already been on the shelf nine months, backing out of the fight
simply is not an option.

“I want to fight,” Dos Santos said. “I’m in the best moment of my
career and I want to make my dream of being a UFC champion come
true.”